Why Safeguarding Water is Imperative for the Protection of the Natural World

Waste Management

July 1, 2020, 9:57 am

By Francois Frigaux, Regional Director of Sensus, a Xylem brand

 

 

Earlier this month, we celebrated World Environment Day, an annual day focused on generating worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. This year’s theme was centred around the biodiversity, with the aim of shining a spotlight on the inextricable link between biodiversity and the very existence of human life. It served as a crucial reminder and call to action, to reflect on the very real challenges we are facing and the need to combat the accelerating species loss and degradation of the natural world.

Intrinsically linked to the health of our planet is water, with effective water management being an important factor in maintaining biodiversity in ecosystems. We at Sensus, a Xylem brand, place water at the heart of everything we do, and cannot stress enough how important water is in supporting biodiversity and the environment, and likewise, the critical role biodiversity plays in ensuring the lifecycle of our planet’s water resources.

 

“We strongly believe that smart water solutions hold the power to disrupt and change the world for the better.”

 

Water stress and extreme weather conditions due to climate change each pose great risks on the very survival of species, ultimately increasing global biodiversity losses. In turn, biodiversity is critical to the maintenance of both the quality and quantity of water supplies and plays a vital but often under-acknowledged role in the water cycle.

One of the ways in which we can safeguard our precious water resources, whilst making intelligent decisions that protect our biodiversity, is by forming a cohesive partnership between people and technology. The utility sector has already made great strides in being one of the early adopters of digital transformation, with more and more utility companies realising that improved digital water capabilities hold the answer to accurate and efficient utilisation and resource management.

Smart Water Networks, for example, are at the forefront of revolutionising society, allowing humankind to take quantum leaps forward – including how water is transported, treated, monitored, in addition to how we can reduce water losses through minimising Non Revenue Water (NRW). As a leading global water technology provider, we are working tirelessly to create a water-secure world while driving meaningful social, economic and environmental value for the communities we serve around the globe.

We strongly believe that smart water solutions hold the power to disrupt and change the world for the better. Now, more than ever, is time to focus on the solutions we know exist or have the potential to be developed, and the very real role smart technology, along with behavioural change, can play in helping to reboot the health of our planet. We, as the water sector, have a responsibility to help mitigate negative impacts on biodiversity, as well as an unparalleled opportunity to leverage the myriad benefits that biodiversity offers us, to support our environment for the greater good.

We need to collectively work together to deliver solutions that meet both water development and biodiversity conservation goals under a broader sustainable development umbrella. It’s time to get smarter about water, for the sake our planet, and all the species that inhabit it.